Rama and Lakshmana appear in front of collector

Sunday, 5 May 2013

Rama and Lakshmana appear in front of collector

This picture depicting the way Rama and Lakshmana appeared in front of the collector and blessing him after instructing him to construct a bridge to avoid the floods into the village and save the settlements with people living there.

During the period 1795 to 1799 the Collector of Chengalpattu District was a British officer called Colonel Lionel Blaze. During his collectorship, Blaze had witnessed two breaches to the huge tank in Madurantakam taluk. The enormity of the problem can be appreciated only when we know of the massive size of the tank. Having an area of 13 square miles (34 km2) and a depth of 21 feet (6 m), the breaching of the tank following torrential downpour was any official’s nightmare. Wanting to take preemptive action in the year 1798 the Collector camped in Madurantakam. During his sojourn the Collector was exploring ways and means to undertake urgent repairs of the breaches if and when they happened. During the course of his inspections, he happened to see a large collection of granite and other stones in the precincts of the Rama temple. The Collector mentioned to his subordinates that these could be put to use in restoration of the bunds. Hearing this the temple priests submitted that the stones were meant for constructing a separate shrine for Janakavalli Thayar and since there was paucity of funds the construction could not commence.

Hearing this the Collector is said to have remarked that where was the need for a separate shrine when more urgent work like repairing the bunds were crying for resources and asked the priests jestingly as to why the Lord was not able to save the tank each year? The priests replied saying that the Lord was always known to answer a sincere prayer from the heart. The rains came and it poured. Within a few days the tank was full to the brim and a breach seemed imminent. That night a worried Collector camped near the tank hoping against hope that the bunds would hold. As he was inspecting, Colonel Blaze saw a miraculous sight. He saw two warriors bearing bow and quiver guarding the bunds. The British officer went on his knees and prayed, for he knew it was none other than Lord Rama and his divine brother Lakshmana. After a while the vision evanesced and the rain stopped. The grateful Collector undertook the building of the shrine for Janakavalli thayar and the Rama in the temple came to be known as the erikatha Ramar (Rama who saved the tank). The edict with the Collector’s name citing him as a benefactor can be seen even today in the Madurantakam temple.

There is also a small representation of the Colllector himself